BEIRUT/BAALBEK: Hezbollah and the Syrian army seized full control of a key hill overlooking the highway linking Damascus to Homs from jihadi fighters Friday.

“The Syrian army and [Hezbollah] mujahideen have wrested control of the entire mountain range of Jabal al-Barouh, which connects the Syrian town of Ras al-Maara with the outskirts of the Lebanese [town] of Nahle,” Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV said.

The TV channel later reported in evening newscast that Hezbollah and the Syrian Army were in full control of Ras al-Maara’s outskirts, with an area of 78 square kilometers.

A security source told The Daily Star that Hezbollah and the Syrian army began clashing with militants in Jabal al-Barouh Thursday, before capturing it early Friday.

Separately Friday, security sources told The Daily Star that Syrian troops and Hezbollah fighters clashed overnight with jihadis from the Nusra Front-led Army of Conquest in Zabadani, in the western part of the Qalamoun region.

They said both sides exchanged artillery and machine gunfire.

The developments come two days after Hezbollah and Syrian troops took over the strategic hill of Tallit Moussa, the highest peak in the Qalamoun region which reaches an altitude of 2,500 kilometers above sea level.

The advancement marked the most significant victory for the allies since the battles with jihadis erupted 11 days ago in the Qalamoun mountain range, which straddles Lebanon's eastern border.

Meanwhile, Army of Conquest militants foiled two attempts by ISIS fighters to infiltrate the areas of Al-Zamrani and Al-Ajram on the outer edge of Arsal near the Syrian border, according to the sources.

On Wednesday, ISIS fighters tried to infiltrate the outskirts of Arsal in an effort to join the Qalamoun battle against the Army of Conquest. The Lebanese Army foiled the attempt, the source said, forcing ISIS militants to retreat north.